Richard Kuhn

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Richard Kuhn
University of Munich
Known forCarotenoids and Vitamins[1]
Isoalloxazine
Total synthesis of riboflavin and Vitamin B6
Soman
Kuhn–Winterstein reaction
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
University of Heidelberg

Richard Johann Kuhn (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɪçaʁt ˈkuːn] ; 3 December 1900 – 31 July 1967) was an Austrian-German biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1938 "for his work on carotenoids and vitamins".

Biography

Early life

Kuhn was born in

University of Munich and received his doctoral degree in 1922 with Richard Willstätter
for a scientific work on enzymes.

After graduating, Kuhn continued his scientific career, first in Munich, then at the

University of Heidelberg
, where he was head of the chemistry department beginning in 1937. In 1928 he married Daisy Hartmann and the couple subsequently had two sons and four daughters.

Research

Kuhn's grave in Heidelberg

Kuhn's areas of study included: investigations of theoretical problems of

enzymes
). Specifically, he carried out important work on vitamin B2 and the antidermatitis vitamin B6.

In 1929 he became Principal of the Institute for Chemistry at the newly founded

Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research (which, since 1950, has been renamed the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg
). By 1937 he also took over the administration of this Institute.

In addition to these duties he also served as of Professor of Biochemistry at the

University of Heidelberg, and for one year he was at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, as a Visiting Research Professor for Physiological Chemistry
.

He was subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1938 for his "work on carotenoids and vitamins," but rejected the prize as Hitler had forbidden German citizens to accept it. In a hand-written letter, he even described the awarding of the prize to a German as an invitation to violate a decree of the Führer.[2][3] He received the award after World War II.[4] Kuhn is also credited with the discovery of the deadly nerve agent Soman in 1944.[5]

Kuhn was editor of Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie from 1948.

Kuhn died in 1967 in Heidelberg, Germany, aged 66.

Nazi era

Kuhn collaborated with high-ranking

Nazi officials[6] and denounced three of his Jewish co-workers in 1936.[6]

In 2005, the Society of German Chemists (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, GDCh) declared their intention to no longer award the Richard Kuhn Medal: "The board of the GDCh intends to discontinue awarding the Medal named after the organic chemist, Nobel Prize laureate of the year 1938 and President of the GDCh in 1964–65, Richard Kuhn. The board thereby draws the consequences out of research on Richard Kuhn's behaviour during National Socialism. Even though the question of whether Kuhn was a convinced National Socialist or just a career-oriented camp follower is not fully answered, he undisputably supported the Nazi-regime in administrative and organizational ways, especially by his scientific work. Despite his scientific achievements, Kuhn is not suitable to serve as a role model, and eponym for an important award, mainly due to his unreflected research on poison gas, but also due to his conduct towards Jewish colleagues."[7]

Honours and awards

References

  1. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1938".
  2. ^ U. Deichmann, "Dem Duce, dem Tenno und unserem Führer ein dreifaches Heil", published in D. Hoffmann and Mark Walker (eds.), "Physiker zwischen Autonomie und Anpassung" (Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2006).
  3. ^ Sarah Everts, Chemistry In Nazi Germany, Chemical & Engineering News, Volume 91, Issue 37, pp. 30–33, 16 September 2013, American Chemical Society.
  4. ^ "Nobel Laureates Facts". The Nobel Foundation. 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  5. .
  6. ^ . Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  7. ^ Nachrichten aus der Chemie. 54: 514. May 2006.

External links